“We’re committed to reaching the next generation and the next generation and the generation after that,” Pastor Sammy Ballard says as a rush of young children make their way out of the sanctuary on Sunday mornings heading to kids’ church.
At First Baptist Church of Mebane, we believe in laying a strong foundation, so that as our kids grow, they do it with growing faith and the love of Jesus at the center of their lives.
Kayleigh McDaniel, Director of Children’s Ministry, knows firsthand what that kind of investment can mean. She’s a product of it herself. “Kids ministry is such an important part of a child’s life,” she says. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t had the Sunday school teachers I had, if I hadn’t had the Vacation Bible School leaders I had.”
Today, she’s pouring into other children the way those leaders poured into her. On any given Sunday, we may have as many as 30 kids in The Grove, our children’s wing where K – 5th graders have shared classrooms and learn, craft, play and grow together in God’s Word. (That’s not including the nursery and preschoolers.)
They’re full of energy and personality. “We have so many different personalities in our Grove right now,” McDaniel says. “But they all mesh so well together.”
What Makes FBC Children’s Ministry Unique
“Often with kids’ ministry, people think it’s just about the kids, but it’s not. It’s also about the parents,” she explains. “I can tell kids about Jesus until I’m blue in the face, but it’s not going to click with them unless the parents are teaching it and preaching it at home and acting it out.”
That sense of connection doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a result of consistent investment from leaders and from families.
FBC’s children’s ministry is built with that whole-family approach in mind. Volunteers and leaders walk alongside kids year after year. “When kids start in The Grove, they’re usually in kindergarten and go all the way up to fifth grade,” McDaniel says.
During those years, they get to explore the Scripture in its entirety. “With the curriculum we use, we journey through the Bible with them,” McDaniel says. “So, they’ll go through the whole entire Bible twice before they leave the Grove.”
It’s a long-haul commitment. With kids, with families, and with the Gospel.
A Ministry for Growing Faith Today… and Tomorrow
When McDaniel talks about the children who come through the doors of FBC each week, she’s looking at them through a lens of who they’re becoming. “These children that are in kids’ ministry right now… one day, they’re going to be the ones who are bringing their kids. They may even be in staff roles,” she says.
It’s a long view of ministry. The lessons learned in The Grove, the relationships built, and the seeds planted are all part of raising up the next generation of the church.
“Kids’ ministry is important to the child, but it’s also important as a whole,” McDaniel says. “We are building a brand-new building, and by the time we get there, the kids now in the Grove will be in youth, and what an amazing youth group that’s going to be, because we started when we were kids.”
She sees future youth leaders, future volunteers, and future church members already forming. One Bible story. One Sunday lesson. One connection at a time.
How You Can Be Involved in Impacting Young Hearts
For anyone thinking about volunteering with kids’ ministry, Kayleigh McDaniel has one important question: “Why? Why do you want to do kids’ ministry?” she asks.
It’s a fair question “It’s more than just teaching a Bible story,” she says. “You’re really connecting with the kids and getting to know them, because you’re going to see the same kids week to week. You want that connection with them, and you want to be able to mentor them.”
Volunteers become a steady presence. Listening, showing up, and helping kids see the love of Jesus in action. “You aren’t merely reading from the Bible. You’re shaping hearts. You’re helping plant seeds and water them and nurture them,” McDaniel says. “It’s one of the most important roles in the church, if I’m saying so.”
Meaningful Moments for Growing Faith
As summer winds down, FBC’s kids’ ministry is gearing up for one of its most meaningful seasons. During August, we have three special events to help families start the new school year off with encouragement and support:
- Blessing of the Helmets – Sunday, August 17, 11 am
- Blessing of the Backpacks – Sunday August 24, 11 am
- Back-to-School Bash – Sunday, August 24, 4 – 6 pm
These are moments to speak truth and hope over our children. “It’s just such a special time to prepare a child for school and pray over their school year,” McDaniel says. “Because prayer is such a powerful thing.”
Don’t miss the chance to be part of it as we send kids into the school year covered in prayer and God’s truth.
For more information about how children’s ministry is growing faith in young hearts at FBC-Mebane, reach out to Kayleigh McDaniel.
